Durban City FC chairman Farook Kadodia has weighed in on the transfer dispute between Cape Town Spurs and Kaizer Chiefs over young talents Asanele Velebayi and Luke Baartman, offering his perspective on the saga.
The controversial saga began when CT Spurs were relegated to the ABC Motsepe League. Chiefs swooped, signing two of the club’s most promising young players, Velebayi and Baartman, as free agents.
The basis for Chiefs’ action lay in SAFA regulations, which dictate that a drop to the third-tier automatically voids all existing professional contracts, allowing players to sign with any professional team without compensation.
Yet, Spurs vehemently contested the move, claiming the players were still contracted. After losing their initial appeal at the PSL Dispute Regulation Chamber [DRC], the club took the fight to the SAFA Appeals Board. Ultimately, SAFA Arbitrator Hilton Epstein sided with the players, ordering Spurs to grant a transfer clearance without compensation.
Veteran Durban City chairman Farook Kadodia later weighed in on the contentious matter, offering a strategic critique on how Spurs might have handled the crisis to achieve a better outcome.
“To be honest with you, my personal view was that Cape Town Spurs should have engaged with clubs to partner with their players rather than lose the players. I think they have lost their players simply because of their approach,” said Kadodia.
KADODIA URGES CLUBS TO AVOID POSSESIVENESS OVER PLAYERS
The Durban City boss emphasised the importance of collaboration and mutual benefit in player negotiations. He introduced the concept of ‘partnering’ with players, citing his own deals.
“They should have partnered players, I mean I brought players from Cape Town City FC here. Whether its Luphumlo ‘Kaka’ [Sifumba], [Patrick] Autata will come next week. Those are players with huge potential, but I partnered with them because I didn’t want them to go anywhere else,” he explained.
Despite the legal ruling, CT Spurs continue to insist that they are entitled to monetary compensation from Chiefs for the two young talents. Kadodia however maintained that clubs should not treat players as lifelong property.
“This is what we’ve got to do. We can’t be possessive and want to be owners of these players for life,” he concludedDespite the recent ruling, reports suggest CT Spurs CEO Alexi Efstathiou is persistent, hinting at the possibility of lodging a further appeal with the High Court.
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